


Moments Lost Between Us

by HQcharbon (fleurdelester)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Mutual Pining, Timeskip, alternating pov, light novel spoilers if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26346379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurdelester/pseuds/HQcharbon
Summary: all of the small moments that could have been something more add up over the years
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 15
Kudos: 117





	1. 2013

**Author's Note:**

> Furudate: writes a 5 year timeskip  
> Me: it's free real estate
> 
> this fic picks up right after chapter 369 and continues until the MSBY/Adlers match

The cold winter of January in Tokyo chills Hinata to the bone as he steps onto the bus. He takes a seat near the back where the morning sun hasn’t hit yet and presses his still warm (but not feverish!) forehead to the cool glass of the window. The bus is quiet, since Hinata was told to get on it while the others would load his stuff for him, but he misses the loudness that came with his teammates.

He spent the last night of their first nationals alone. Instead enjoying a meal together with his teammates, he ate in isolation, tears streaming down his face. Instead of finding comfort in their brashness and jokes, he had to make comfort with the silence of his room. Some teammates did, of course, come to visit him (notably five teammates toppling over each other, insisting that they all needed to come help deliver him a water bottle), but he had still felt the sting of loneliness when night had fallen and he realized Kageyama wasn’t going to come and see him.

He was expecting a lecture from his teammate, getting yelled at, _anything_ , but instead all he got was radio silence. Maybe it was too much for him to think Kageyama would comfort him, he’s the one who got himself into this mess in the first place after all. But he can’t shake the thoughts plaguing his mind that it was _Kageyama_ who noticed the fever in the first place, it was _Kageyama_ trying to force him to rest and eat between matches, it was _Kageyama_ who made him feel like he could fly, higher and higher, trying to reach the sun. Surely that must mean he cares, at least a little bit?

It didn’t matter though, in the end. It was his fault that he came crashing down back towards the earth, and while Coach had told him he wasn’t to blame for their loss, he sure felt like his decommission had been a big contribution to it. He had to live with those consequences now.

His fever had gone down considerably since yesterday, but his whole body still felt fatigued, his muscles sore from running and jumping without giving them a chance to rest. He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift off. No harm could come from a short nap while he waited for everyone else to join him on the bus.

He’s not sure how long has passed when his mind comes back into focus. The bus is much louder and warmer now, thanks to all the other bodies now filling it. He blinks his eyes open, seeing that the lights are dimmed, but everyone is now seated, chattering quietly as they speed down the highway.

A small shift from the seat beside him catches his attention, his head lifting to look as he subconsciously leans into the warm body pressed to his side. He sees Kageyama out of the corner of his eye, looking focused as he writes in a notebook.

_He’s probably writing in his volleyball log,_ Hinata thinks. He considers whether craning his neck to look over would be worth it, but he knows it would ultimately be a futile attempt given how useless Kageyama’s handwriting is. He straightens up nonetheless, ignoring how his face winces at the small pain that shoots up his neck.

The movement startles Kageyama, who closes his notebook midsentence, leaving his pen sandwiched between the pages. He turns his body slowly towards Hinata, but he continues to look down, not making eye contact. He stares at the spot where their two bodies meet, thighs pressed up against each other.

Hinata wants to say so many things. He wants to know why Kageyama would leave him alone like that, he wants to apologize for doing this to everyone, he wants to apologize for neglecting to take care of himself. His mind is racing a mile a minute with all the things he should say, torn between saying them or not saying anything at all and waiting for Kageyama to speak. His mouth speaks for him before his brain can catch up. “How long have I been asleep?”

From the corner of his eye, Hinata can see Kageyama move to look at his face, studying him carefully. He feels almost trapped under his gaze, knowing full well he probably has rosy cheeks and dark circles under his eyes, and maybe some sweat on his face from the lingering fever –

“About an hour, I think.” Kageyama pulls him out of his thoughts. “We left the hotel maybe 45 minutes ago, but you were already asleep when I got on the bus.”

“Oh.” Hinata hums, continuing to look at his lap. He wrings his fingers together, not knowing where to continue the conversation. Kageyama probably wants to tell him off, yell at him about personal maintenance, and even though a fight with Kageyama is the last thing he wants right now, he knows better than to postpone the inevitable. He turns his head slightly to Kageyama so that he can hear him while keeping his voice low.

“You can tell me off now.” He murmurs. Kageyama stays quiet for a while, seemingly mulling it over in his head, choosing his words carefully.

“Hinata…” he says, voice calm and neutral. He pauses, and when Hinata looks up he’s staring into the back of the seat in front of him intensely. “I think everything’s already been said, so hearing it again from me would be pointless. I just don’t want to see it happen to you again, dumbass.”

“Oh, okay.” Hinata doesn’t know how to feel. Was that worry Kageyama just expressed? Was he caring just then? He’s not used to Kageyama outwardly showing concern to well… anyone, so he doesn’t know how to respond. He decides to just close his eyes and lean his head back on the seat, hoping to escape the conversation.

The silence between them grows heavier, neither knowing what to say, before Kageyama cautiously breaks it. “How are you feeling anyways?”

Hinata perks up. “A lot better! My fever’s gone down but I’m still really tired and a little sore. Takeda-sensei told me this morning I should be fine once I get a little more sleep.”

“That’s good.” Kageyama is still looking ahead. “You should sleep now, then. I don’t mind.”

It sounds very tempting, a chance to sleep off any lingering symptoms of exhaustion, and an excuse to escape the awkwardness between him and Kageyama. He leans back into his seat, burrows into his scarf, and lets the heat radiating off Kageyama’s body lull him to sleep.

He wakes up as they’re arriving back in Miyagi, a second jacket thrown over his chest and his head resting on Kageyama’s shoulder. Neither of them acknowledge the position they’re in and they get off the bus without a word.

\---

Spring nationals was an awakening for Hinata. Seeing all of the greats, realizing how many skills he still lacked, and it left him with a hunger for improvement. He had realized during the training camp, as he watched the others do their 2 on 2 drills, that he needed to know how to do everything if anyone was going to take him seriously later on. He had taken a habit of watching beach videos on his breaks, watching how the players had such a wide variety of skills – he wanted that, to be able to hold his own on the court like they did.

“Hey,” he turned to face Kageyama, who was eating a meat bun. “What do you think of beach volleyball? To train?”

He asks it as more of a rhetorical question, not expecting more of an answer than the shrug he receives from Kageyama. “I think I want to train beach after high school,” he continues. “Those beach players are so impressive, they really need to be experts in every position in order to win any points. Coach and I are starting to look into it, but I think that’s the only way I can get good enough.”

He swallows hard, he’s not sure why he’s spilling all this to Kageyama, but he feels like he wants the approval of his best friend, who he sees as better than him. He waits and waits, until Kageyama looks up at him.

“Just don’t waste your time, then.”

He ends up making his decision on a whim, the moment Coach Washijo tells him that his best option for serious training is to go to Rio, he doesn’t even hesitate before saying he’ll go. Takeda-sensei tries to tell him to take the night and think it over, to talk with his parents about it, but his mind is made up. He knows that this is what he needs to do. This is how he’s going to rise to the stage he wants to be at.

He keeps his decision quiet for a few days, breaking the news only to his mom and Natsu. They’d both been supportive of his decision, his mom saying she’d help as much as she could, while Natsu was jealous that he’d be in another country and getting to experience a whole bunch of fun things like Carnival.

He decides to tell Kageyama when they’re walking home before he tells any of his other teammates. Its late summer and they’re both a little weary from all day practice, so they stopped for popsicles on the way back.

“I know what I’m going to do after graduation,” he starts. “Coach Washijo – he knows someone who can teach me beach. He called to make sure its okay and everything, so I’m officially going to be going. He’s in Rio – Brazil, so I’ll be able to train beach in one of the best countries for it.”

“Wait, slow down dumbass.” Kageyama turns to him, raising an eyebrow. “When did you even decide this?”

“Earlier this week. We’d been looking everywhere to find a serious coach in Japan, but no one here has any connections. This is the best shot I’ve got.”

“Oh… Okay.”

Kageyama turns back so he’s facing away, gazing past the buildings in front of them at the sun as it begins to sink low into the sky. Hinata watches as he shrugs his shoulders forward, like he’s shrinking in on himself.

“I’ll take a year off after graduation before I go,” he continues. “Coach Washijo says I need to prepare, get some money, learn a little here, learn Portuguese. Then I’ll be gone two years, but when I get back, just you see! I’ll finally be good enough to beat you. I’ll finally be on the same stage as you.”

“Mhm,” Kageyama hums, biting on the last bit of his popsicle. He stands up from their spot on the curb, tossing the wrapper and the popsicle stick in the nearest trash can. “Listen, I need to go. Thanks for telling me.” He keeps his eyes trained on the ground as he grabs his bag from the pavement and walks away.

Hinata gapes after him, watching his back grow smaller as he gets further and further away. It was Kageyama after all, so he wasn’t expecting confetti and streamers at his announcement, but he expected something _more_ than just that.

“What’s with that guy?” He muttered to himself, standing up to grab his bike, ignoring the sudden funny feeling in his chest.


	2. 2014

This time, Kageyama wants to be selfish, he thinks. He knows that he’s moved on past the whole “King of the Court” thing, he knows where he stands. But just this once, he wants to be able to influence Hinata’s decision.

Last summer, Hinata had announced to him out of the blue that after graduation he’d be going to Rio to train beach volleyball. In hindsight, it wasn’t completely unexpected, Hinata _had_ mentioned the possibility of switching to beach for training, and Kageyama knew that his blind determination meant that absolutely nothing would stand in his way. But in the moment, he felt like he was experiencing whiplash, his heart sinking in his chest from the sudden news. He should’ve felt happy for Hinata, excited for his best friend to take that once in a lifetime opportunity and grab it with both hands, but he felt a certain kind of melancholy. It seems like at the time Hinata must’ve caught on to Kageyama’s feelings, tried to provide him some kind of comfort.

_“I’ll finally be good enough to beat you. I’ll finally be on the same stage as you.”_

Those words had repeated over and over again in Kageyama’s head as he had walked home that night. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Hinata was doing all of this _for him_. It was _his fault_ that his best friend was going to move to the other side of the world. He knew the payoff at the end would be worth it, Hinata would never disappoint him like that, but he still felt like the separation would tear at his seams.

He didn’t know what it meant that he was so impacted by Hinata’s news, so he just pushed those feelings to the back of his mind. Every once in a while, they would resurface, and he’d be forced to confront them as his mind wandered into the unchartered territory of feelings and Hinata Shouyou.

Days like today, as Hinata walked two steps in front of him, walking his bike as cherry blossom petals began to fall, getting caught in his hair, Kageyama wasn’t able to hold his thoughts and bay and found himself lost in thought. 

It was the second day of their third year, they had just finished practice, the new first years seemed nice enough, and Hinata as always was bubbly and open to showing them all of his attention. He never seemed to run out of energy, as he was still babbling at a mile a minute as the two of them walked home together. Kageyama was watching him talk animatedly, barely listening to what he was actually saying and more looking at the way his eyes twinkled when he talked, how his hands could never stay still.

It’s fair to say that he got… distracted by Hinata, which is how he ended up lost in thought about before he knew it, Hinata would _leave him_ , and Kageyama didn’t want anything more than to make him stay.

He’s pulled out of his thoughts as Hinata suddenly stops walking, Kageyama almost walking straight into his bike.

“So will you do it?” Hinata asks, looking up at him expectantly.

“Do what?”

“I knew you weren’t listening!” Hinata huffs, looking away and starting to walk again. “I was _asking_ if you could teach me to set? Nothing fancy, but I feel like I should know at least the basics for when I start training beach.”

“Can’t your coach do that? I don’t know if anything I could show you would be good in beach.”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if I can’t use it, I need to learn from the best, so that one day I can use it to beat you.” Hinata clenches his fist, looking just as determined as he did when he first announced his plans for Brazil. “The goal is to become one of the best in indoor volleyball anyways.”

“Well now that you’ve revealed your plans to use my knowledge against me, I’m not going to teach you, dumbass.”

Hinata pouts. “Please! We can practice at the park after practice on Saturday? I’ll buy you snacks.”

\---

He ends up agreeing to Hinata’s deal. After practice, they swing by Sakanoshita’s to buy a bunch of snacks and eat them on their way to the park.

Kageyama pulls the ball out of his bag once they arrive, tossing it in a high arc above Hinata.

“Show me what I’m working with.” Is all he says, watching Hinata’s form carefully as he executes a clumsy but functional set. It’s not precise by any means, but the raw potential is there, waiting to be refined. It kind of reminds him of what Hinata was like in that first middle school match, something that could be great with the right guidance but too rough around the edges to be useful.

_Does this guy ever stop?_

“Here,” he walks up behind Hinata, gently taking his elbow in his hand, correcting his form. “Position yourself so that the ball is a little more in front of you when you set. That should make it easier to control. You should also bend your knees more, you put too much power in your wrists when you should use your whole body instead.”

“Okay, hit me with another.”

They spend the afternoon just practicing sets, keeping at it until the sun sinks low on the horizon. Hinata’s sets get better and better, and eventually they try Kageyama spiking.

It goes relatively well, once they find their rhythm, but Hinata’s rubbing at his fingers while they take a water break catches Kageyama’s attention.

“I think I’m doing something wrong,” he says. “Either that or you’re throwing the ball too hard, but it shouldn’t hurt.”

“Let me see your form again.”

They try one more set, this time Kageyama’s gaze is fixed to Hinata’s fingers as he sets the ball. Now that he’s paying close attention, he can recognize where he’s going wrong.

“You need to stop the balls momentum more with your hands.” He demonstrates using his own hands. “When your fingers are relaxed it’s a lot easier.”

“Like this?” Hinata relaxes his fingers a little bit, but his wrists remain stiff. Kageyama shakes his head.

“Here,” he grabs Hinata’s hand in both of his. “Just keep relaxing your hand, I’ll tell you when to stop. Don’t forget your wrists too.”

Hinata swallows audibly, a pink blush beginning to grace his skin at the contact, but Kageyama can see the stiff muscles of his forearm relax, can feel the joints of his hand loosen up. Hinata almost feels pliant, like he’s turning into mush in Kageyama’s hands.

“That should be good.” He lets go, taking a few steps back so he can throw the ball in a high arc again. This time, there’s a visible difference in how Hinata receives the ball and sends it back, a perfect high set, just the right speed for a first tempo quick attack.

“Yeah, that one felt much better.” Hinata smiles. He picks the ball off the pavement where its starting to roll away. “Thanks for all the help today Kageyama-kun. It’s starting to get late, so we should get going.”

As Kageyama is packing away the volleyball, picking up his bag, Hinata bumps his shoulder against his.

“I’ll try my best to not take your spot as our setter.” He grins cheekily, grabbing his bag and running away, laughing the whole way out of the park as Kageyama chases him.

When Kageyama gets home that night, he lies in bed, staring at his hands, remembering how Hinata’s rough skin had felt against his, how Hinata’s face had heated up while he held them.

Hinata’s reminder that he was going to beat him one day echoed in his mind, his commitment to their promise evident in his actions. Hinata was doing all this work to improve himself – at least partly – _for him_. He smiled at the thought, clutching his hands to his chest while he attempted to get some sleep.

\---

In October, adrenaline courses through him as they reach set point at the finals for the Spring Interhigh qualifier. They’re playing against Shiratorizawa, just as they did during their first year, though they’re not nearly as strong as they once were with Ushiwaka on their side. Still, they put up a fight, and as the fourth set drags into a deuce, fatigue begins to plague his mind, wishing every set he makes would bring them the win.

The reach set point, match point, and Shiratorizawa calls a time out. He sits on the bench, a towel pressed to his neck, when Hinata elbows his ribs from where he sits next to him.

“Send it to me.” He furrows his brows. “I’ll end it in one shot.”

He smiles, wickedly determined. Hinata’s words almost sound like they’re the kind of thing an ace would say. Though he’d given up on becoming an ace a while ago, deciding instead to create something for himself, it was funny how he had kind of fallen into the role in his own way.

The time out ends. He sets to Hinata, and he scores a point. Just like that, they’ve cinched their ticket to Spring Interhigh for the third year in a row. Hinata falls back to the ground, not even waiting until the final whistle has blown until he starts running towards Kageyama.

Small arms wrap around his shoulders as Hinata presses his nose into Kageyama’s neck.

“We did it…” he murmurs, so quiet only Kageyama can hear him. In the loudness of the gym, it feels they’ve created their own bubble where no one else exists. It only lasts a second, but Kageyama wishes the moment could go on and on. The bubble eventually pops as the rest of the team all joins in to form a group hug, piling on top of he and Hinata one by one.

Once all is said and done – they’ve received their medals, thanked the cheering squad, changed out of their uniforms – he walks side by side with Hinata as they exit the arena.

“I told you I’d finish it in one shot.” Hinata nudges him.

“Technically finishing it in one shot would’ve been if we’d gotten a service ace.”

Hinata tugs at his sleeve. “C’monnnn. Just admit that I was cool for once.”

“Fine,” he relents, pulling his arm close to his side, effectively bringing Hinata along with it.

“I’ll admit it, you were cool.”

\---

His birthday falls on a Monday that year, and Hinata rushes him out of the club room as soon as practice is over.

“We’ve never done anything for your birthday! I want to get you cake or something for once.” He explains. He grabs Kageyama’s arm with both hands as he drags them both off campus. Kageyama’s jacket begins to slip off his shoulder, he didn’t even get a chance to zip it up fully.

“Hang on, dumbass.” He pulls his arm out of Hinata’s grasp but doesn’t stop walking as he adjusts his bag and his jacket. “At least let me zip up my bag. What’s the rush anyways?”

“I’m just excited!” Hinata grins. “You never want to hang out outside of practice!”

 _You never ask_ , he thinks, before stopping himself and remembering. In the past, Hinata _had_ asked him to hang out, through weekend sleepovers and New Year’s shrine visits, and he always said no. At some point Hinata had just stopped asking.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, grabbing onto the straps of his bag for comfort. He hadn’t realized that he’d been turning Hinata down all this time.

“Why are you apologizing?” Hinata stops in front of him, almost causing Kageyama to bump into him. “I’m not allowing you to apologize on your birthday when you’ve done nothing wrong.”

Hinata watches as he nods, before turning back around and continuing their walk in silence. Once they reach the shop, Hinata has him sit on the curb and wait while he buys the cake. He sits on the pavement, the cold seeping through his tracksuit. There’s no snow on the ground, but the below zero temperatures make up for it. Now that he’s stopped moving he can really feel the wind as it brushes against his bare neck, causing a shiver to course down his spine. He opens his bag and searches for his scarf, only to realize that he’s left it behind.

 _This is his fault_ , he glares towards Hinata through the window, huffing out a breath and crossing his arms in an attempt to retain his body heat.

Hinata steps outside the shop, a cake box and two forks in hand. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just picked what I liked and hoped you’d like it too. Sorry, I forgot to ask beforehand.” He sits next to Kageyama on the curb and opens the box to reveal one large slice of strawberry shortcake.

“I, uh, could only afford one slice.” Hinata rubs at the back of his neck. “So we’ll have to share. I hope that’s okay.” He offers Kageyama a fork and slides so that they’re sitting much closer, their sides pressed together.

They eat in silence, Kageyama slowly taking forkfuls of cake. He probably wouldn’t have chosen strawberry if he was buying for himself, but it tastes good. And seeing Hinata struggle to leave exactly half of the slice while he enthusiastically takes big bites is an amusing bonus.

When they’re done, Hinata stands up to throw out their trash, and Kageyama shivers at the loss of contact.

“Aw, is Kageyama-kun cold?” He teases, offering a gloved hand to help him stand up.

“Shut up, dumbass. I forgot my scarf in the club room because you were in such a rush.” He sticks his hands in his pockets and starts walking the path they take to go home. It’s only a few minutes walk to where they’ll split ways, and then its only another 10 before he’s home.

“Why didn’t you say so?” Out of the corner of his eye he sees Hinata removing his scarf, being careful to not dislodge his earmuffs as he does so. “Stand still.”

He freezes, both physically and metaphorically, as cold blood courses through his veins and his heart rate starts to increase. Hinata stops right in front of him, so close that Kageyama can feel his breath on his neck. He frowns, staring at Kageyama’s collarbones.

“For starters, it’d help if you zipped this up all the way.” He tugs at the zipper of Kageyama’s jacket, pulling it up for him. He then takes his green scarf and loops it around Kageyama’s neck, taking extra care to tuck the loose ends into the jacket and adjust the fit around Kageyama’s face.

He feels his face heat up at the contact, Hinata’s gloved hands brushing against his cheek as he works, his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth like it does when he’s concentrated. He stays as still as he can until Hinata’s done, hoping that the flush he feels on his cheeks isn’t too noticeable, or he’s at least hoping he can blame it on the wind.

“There!” Hinata says suddenly, snapping his attention back to the red hair that’s retreating from his personal space. “That should keep you warm until you get home.”

He steps back to admire his work, and he must notice something about Kageyama’s face, because he begins waving his hand. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, but we can’t have you getting sick! Nationals are in just a few weeks and I need you in tip top shape for then!”

Hinata puts his hands behind his back, looking down at his feet. “I should probably go home, mom and Natsu will be waiting with dinner…” he trails off, grabbing his bike to start leaving.

“Bye Kageyama!” he calls over his shoulder, breaking into a run and hopping on his bike. “Happy birthday! See you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow.” Kageyama repeats, waving aimlessly at Hinata’s retreating back.

He walks home, feeling warmer than he was before, and wonders if it’s only because of the scarf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think this chapter was my favourite to write, i just love the thought of third year kageyama being confused on why Hinata is so cute all of the sudden
> 
> come chat with me on twitter @HQcharbon !


	3. 2015

Hinata wakes up on New Year’s Day with a plan. Every year he and Yamaguchi had visited a shrine to wish for victory at Nationals, and every year without fail both Tsukishima and Kageyama had declined. This year, a few weeks prior to the new year the two of them had eaten lunch together with Yachi to hatch a plan on how they would manage to bring the two of them along this time.

“I think we just need to show up at their door and not give them an option.” Hinata suggests. The three of them are crowded around a desk in Yachi’s classroom, and every time he takes a bite of his lunch, he’s dangerously close to elbowing Yamaguchi’s ribs. He carefully lifts his chopsticks to his mouth, barely finishing chewing before he continues his thought. “At least, that’s what I usually do whenever I want Kageyama to do something.”

Yamaguchi snorts. “Of course, that’s what you do. I don’t think that would work with Tsukki though.”

“What do you usually do when you want him to do something?” Yachi asks, looking at Yamaguchi.

“I’m not usually able to convince him.” He sighs. “I’ll try Hinata’s thing, but I can’t promise I’ll be successful.”

They came to a mutual agreement that Hinata would fetch Kageyama while Yachi would help Yamaguchi to coax Tsukki into coming, and they’d all meet up at the shrine at 9 AM. Which is how he finds himself now, outside Kageyama’s door at 8:15. He sends Kageyama a text:

_Hey, Yamaguchi and I are going on our shrine visit. Wanna come?_

He doesn’t wait long for a reply, receiving a text back almost instantaneously.

 _No_.

He types back just as quickly.

_Not gonna work this year. I’m waiting outside, so get dressed and come downstairs._

He doesn’t get an answer right away, so he leans against a nearby tree and watches as the winter sun climbs higher and higher in the sky, reaching above the treeline. He turns when he hears the front door slam shut and sees Kageyama storming towards him.

“I told Yamaguchi this would work!” he says, bounding over to Kageyama to greet him. “C’mon, we’re meeting them there at 9 and it’s already 8:30!”

“Them?” Kageyama asks incredulously. “Who else is going to be there? Your text just said Yamaguchi.”

“Oh! Yachi went to help him get Tsukishima while I came to convince you to come. You guys say no every year, but this is literally our _last chance_.”

He knows, deep down, that this probably isn’t the last chance he’ll have to go on a shrine visit with Kageyama, but it’s the last chance they’ll have to go with the others as a team, as _Karasuno_. When he was in his first year, he didn’t quite get how Asahi was sentimental about every major event of the year, but now that he’s in the same position, he understands a little. He wants to make memories to hold in his heart too. 

He walks next to Kageyama, their strides naturally falling in sync. Even though his legs are much shorter than Kageyama’s, he’s worked over the years to find a way to match his pace. He’s been trying all this time to catch up, and now that he’s getting closer he refuses to fall behind again.

“I’m only staying for an hour.” Kageyama keeps looking ahead, watching the road. “I usually go for a run, so as soon as we’re done I’m leaving.”

It’s only then that Hinata notices his attire, Kageyama is decked head to toe in his running gear. “You know you’re supposed to dress kind of nice for shrine visits, right? You’re gonna look so out of place like that.”

“I don’t care.” Kageyama looks to him and eyes his own outfit, jeans and a hoodie under his blue puffy jacket. He smirks. “Not like you look any better.”

Hinata goes to jab at his side, but his wrist is caught by Kageyama as he evades the attack. They continue bickering until they reach the shrine, seeing Yamaguchi, Yachi, and Tsukki already waiting for them.

The five all greet each other, Yachi going to hug everyone while Tsukki and Kageyama acknowledge each other with a simple nod. The shrine visit itself ends up being pretty uneventful, with everyone getting exceptionally average fortunes. It’s only as they’re all leaving to go home that Hinata speaks up.

“This time, we’re going to win it all.” He speaks lowly, certain that no one else can hear him, but Kageyama turns his head, looking him in the eye with a calm stare.

“Of course.”

\---

In February, he overhears a conversation between Takeda-sensei and Kageyama while he’s practicing serves. Since the third years won’t have any more competitions with nationals over, they’re free to practice how they please until the school year ends, so he’s been attempting to learn to jump serve. Attempting, being the key point here, as the ball hits the ground before he even gets a chance to hit it.

He’s bending over to retrieve the treacherous ball when he hears Kageyama tell sensei “I’ve already signed with them.”

His ears perk up, and he returns to his serving spot, thoroughly distracted and trying too hard to look like he’s _not_ listening in. He learns that along with his various university offers, Kageyama had also gotten an invitation to join a division 1 V-League team. He doesn’t hear what team, but Kageyama says that he already signed the contract, and that this was the better option for him since he was never really good at school to begin with.

Kageyama’s logic makes sense, Hinata thinks. If he was in that position, he would probably do the same. He’d gotten a few universities trying to recruit him himself, but he was able to turn them do before they’d even been able to offer. His future had already been decided over a year ago.

But _Kageyama’s_ future hadn’t been decided, and he had just gone and made one of the biggest decisions of his life. Without consulting Hinata.

He _wasn’t_ upset, Kageyama had the right to make decisions like this on his own, but they were supposed to be partners! And Kageyama hadn’t even _mentioned_ it to him.

He says exactly that to Yachi over lunch a few days later, after Kageyama had broken the news to the team in one fell swoop. He kicks at the ground while he vents to her about how Kageyama doesn’t tell him anything when she interrupts his whining.

“Did you talk to him about Brazil?” She asks.

Hinata frowns. That is _not_ the same thing. He tells Yachi that and watches as her expression falls into one of confusion. She appears deep in thought, so he leaves her to think and returns to his classroom.

He doesn’t bring up how he feels with Kageyama, and he doesn’t expect him to catch on to the hurt that he’s feeling. Instead, he does the best he can, and wholeheartedly supports Kageyama every time it’s brought up.

\---

They graduate in March, and the team reunites one last time after the ceremonies to say their final goodbyes. Yamaguchi passes his captainship on to the second year waiting in the wings, assuring him that he’s taught him everything he knows. Their underclassmen wish them all luck at their respective futures, whether it be university, Brazil, or the V-League, and they all split ways, most choosing to rejoin their families and go home. Hinata lingers a little longer, talking animatedly with the first years while he still holds their attention.

They too, leave eventually, and he wanders aimlessly through the school grounds. He decides to visit their gym one last time before he leaves, to give it one final goodbye. As he approaches, he hears the signature squeaking of running shoes on the linoleum floors. He peeks inside to see Kageyama practicing serves, his jacket and diploma discarded on the gym floor.

He quickly sheds his own jacket and diploma outside the gym, not even stopping to change his shoes in his excitement. He rushes in just as Kageyama serves again, performing a perfect receive to return the ball to just in front of the net. He looks up from his position on the floor to see Kageyama glaring at him.

He grins ear to ear, calling out “See you later, Kageyama!” even though he means _we’ll meet again, I’ll join you on the world stage, just wait for me._

Kageyama smiles back at him, it’s small and kind of timid, but it makes Hinata’s heart jump to his throat.

“Yeah, see you later.” Almost like a silent promise in return – _I understand, and I’ll wait for you_. After a pause, “And get a haircut! It’s all messy now!” he adds.

“I was just thinking of getting it cut!” He calls, bounding out of the gym in all smiles, leaving Karasuno – and Kageyama – behind.

\---

Only a few weeks pass before Kageyama up and leaves for Tokyo, and their entire group goes to the station with him to see him off.

He’d be moving into the Adlers’ training complex, so he hadn’t had a need to bring any kinds of training equipment or furniture, and he now stands outside the train station with his entire life fitting into just one suitcase and a backpack. Yachi had insisted they all get him a parting gift, claiming it was important to get someone a housewarming present when they moved into a new home, but was thoroughly disappointed when Kageyama informed her that there was nothing he’d need nor anything he particularly wanted for his move.

She had been persistent, though, and had used her design skills to make a photo book of all of all three of their years at Karasuno. She’d filled it with memories from training camps, pictures from practices, and stills from some of their old match recordings. At the end, she had left a bunch of blank pages so that they could all write him messages wishing him luck in the V-League. She’d even managed to get messages from some of their old senpai, but Hinata suspects Kiyoko might have had something to do with it.

She’d passed the book on to Hinata the morning Kageyama was due to leave, telling him he was the only one left to sign it. He’d held the book in his hands, fingers brushing over the bindings, a simple black cover with “Karasuno High” printed on the side in orange – their team colours. He flipped through to the end, skipping over most of the pictures. He’d helped Yachi find some of them, so he didn’t feel the need to look through them again. He saw that Yachi had captioned most of the pictures or put small paragraphs of texts on certain pages. She’d really gone the extra mile to make this book nice, even though Kageyama was hardly a sentimental person.

He’d spent a few minutes trying to think of what he could write to Kageyama. He _could_ write about how they met, how they learned to get along and bring out the best in each other, but that seemed too sappy. It’s not like Kageyama would care anyways. He settles on a doodle of the two of them, Kageyama setting the ball so it looks like it’s miles above the net while he spikes it straight down. He almost adds their old jersey numbers from their first year, the classic nine and ten, but he instead leaves their backs bare. He writes a quick note under his drawing.

_Do your best Kageyama. I’ll meet you someday, so be sure to wait for me!_

  * _Hinata_



He closes the book and hands it back to Yachi, satisfied with his work.

When Kageyama sees the book for the first time, his cheeks go pink and he stutters out a thanks while Yachi all but shoves it into his hands.

“You didn’t have to do this.” He says, holding it tightly with both hands.

“Oh, don’t worry, it was extra practice for me too!” Yachi waves her hand. “Wait until you’re all settled to read it. Maybe it can help if you get homesick.”

“It’s not like he’ll be getting homesick anytime soon.” Tsukishima snickers. “Not with Ushijima-san right down the hall–”

“Regardless,” Yachi interrupts. “Just wait until you’re on the train to read it, at least.”

Kageyama nods. He checks his watch and looks back towards their group. “I need to go, otherwise I’ll miss my train.”

They all wave at him, not saying anything but watching as he grabs his bag and heads towards his platform, not looking back.

\---

They gradually fall out of touch. At first, Hinata makes an attempt to keep some kind of contact, texting Kageyama questions about what its like to train with pros, what his teammates are like, whether he likes it or not. But both of them lead incredibly busy schedules with the training they’ve dedicated themselves to, so messages fall from few and far between to completely nonexistent. Yachi and Yamaguchi keep their first year group chat alive, sending messages about their own lives and when they think of the others, but Kageyama almost never responds.

Kageyama has his first V-League game in October, and he doesn’t invite anyone to come watch. Yachi sends a message in the group chat, telling him that she’ll be watching from her dorm. The match is in Hokkaido, so he wouldn’t have been able to attend even if he had been free, but he happens to be booked for a training session with his beach volleyball coach on that particular day. If he’s lucky, he can finish early and watch the final set, even if Kageyama probably isn’t expecting him to.

It starts raining partway through his training session, so he rushes home to catch the tail end of the game. He turns on the stream as soon as he gets his shoes off, to see Kageyama… on the bench.

The starting setter they’re using is much older, in his mid-30s, and Hinata can tell even from the angle that he’s good. Not as good as Kageyama, he thinks, but perhaps he’s biased. He sees that Ushijima is on the court, still as powerful as he remembers from when he played him their first year of high school. He scores the Adlers a point, and the rotation moves up.

A buzzer sounds, and Hinata sees they’re making a substitution. He squints at the names as they pop up in the corner of his tiny phone screen, but he sees the camera angle change to show familiar blue eyes and choppy bangs.

 _So they’re using him as a pinch server_ , he thinks, watching as the ball is passed to Kageyama. He’s seen that serve many times, but rarely ever from this angle. From here he can appreciate Kageyama’s form – how high off the ground he jumps when he goes to hit the ball, the arch of his back as he swings to hit. He’s so caught up in the moment that before he knows it the ball has slammed into the other team’s court.

He watches as Kageyama racks up four points off of service aces before he’s subbed back out for their libero. The Adlers were behind 3 points in the fourth set, so he’s given them a slight lead over the other team for now.

Hinata watches, entranced, as the ball flies back and forth, points being scored for both teams. It’s the other team that comes out on top though, the Adlers narrowly losing the last set 27-25. 

Hinata closes his phone when the end of the game is announced. He doesn’t send a text to Kageyama. Instead, he heads to his room and grabs his Portuguese textbooks.

He has his own goal to work towards, after all, his own summit to chase. And now that he’s seen the destination, he doesn’t want to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> through writing this chapter i realized that our idiot duo graduated high school the same time as me even though they're two years older  
> man, education is weird. 
> 
> chat with me on twitter @HQcharbon


	4. 2016

It’s shortly after the new year that Kageyama gets a text in his old volleyball group chat about Hinata’s departure. He’s bought a ticket for early April to fly to the other side of the world and train for two years, and now he’s asking his friends if they’ll all come and see him off before he leaves.

He never has time to spend in Miyagi anymore, his schedule packed to the brim with training in Tokyo. He’s lived there for a little less than a year, and though it’s never felt quite like home, he’s never felt a need to return to his hometown. His sister would visit him at his apartment or in the city on occasion, and he hasn’t had all that many invites from his high school friends to hang out, since they were all busy with university and moved off into their own dorms. Only Hinata had stayed in his family home, and he had never invited Kageyama to hang out until now.

A quick check to his calendar tells him he won’t even be in the country on the particular date Hinata is suggesting, so he sends a quick message to the group before he puts his phone away to head to dinner. The phone buzzes in his pocket throughout his meal, but he tries his best to ignore it as he eats with some of his teammates in the dormitory cafeteria. Once his plate is clean, he checks it to see a flurry of messages all from Hinata.

_What do you mean “I can’t go”_

_Why not_

_C’mon you don’t want to see me off????_

The rest of the buzzing were the others responding in the chat, telling Hinata that they’d clear their schedules and make sure that they didn’t miss it. He contemplates explaining himself in the group but remembers his manager’s words and sends a message to Hinata privately.

_I’m going to be in America for an Olympic training camp. That’s why I can’t go._

_It’s still a secret though so don’t tell anyone._

The Olympic team hadn’t been announced yet, and he was told they were only going to post the full roster on the official Team Japan website in late February, a whole month from now, so he was told to keep it as secret as he could. So far, the only other person he had told about being selected for the team was Miwa, but he figured no one would tell him off too much for telling Hinata.

Hinata, naturally, responds with too many questions, which he tries to answer all of, but the conversation starts to go off rails. Before it gets out of hand, he sends over an idea.

_Why don’t I just come see you off before I leave?_

_No_. Hinata answers courtly, not providing any further explanation. Kageyama doesn’t push, because Hinata will probably answer with more details in another message, so he puts his phone back down on the table and focuses his attention back to the conversation around him.

There are no further messages when he gets up to head back to his apartment, and he ignores the tugging on his heartstrings as best as he can while he gets ready for bed.

The day Hinata leaves (technically night in Japan), he gets an image sent to the group over his breakfast. It’s a group photo of everyone who was there to see him off, presumably taken by Hinata’s mother on someone else’s phone. He sees Hinata crouched down at the front, while all of his friends, his sister, and their coach and teacher, surround him, all with smiles so big they blind him.

He saves the photo to his phone, and sends a text wishing Hinata a safe flight.

\---

A month before the Olympics, he’s in a changing room getting ready for morning practice when he gets a text from Hinata:

_Look! We met in Rio!_

Attached is a picture of Hinata and Oikawa on a beach, their tongues sticking out while a beach volleyball court can be seen behind them. Hinata looks tanned, his hair cut shorter from the last time he saw him, and he’s already starting to take on a tan even though he’s only been in Rio about a month.

He squints at the picture, and he knows he must be making some kind of awful expression, but he can’t shake the incredulousness of the situation.

 _Oikawa?_ He thinks. He tries to come up with a reasoning of why he’d be in Rio, of all places, but he comes up blank. After he’d graduated high school, Oikawa had gone completely off grid from the volleyball world, despite being a player to watch during his senior year. Similar to Hinata, he imagines only those who were close to him knew what his plans for the future. He looks closely at the picture, seeing how both of them have shorter hair and sun kissed skin, how even though it must be getting pretty late over there the sun is setting, casting the entire picture with an orange hue.

He sees the tall frame of his teammate passing by him from the corner of his eye and reaches out to tug at Ushijima’s sleeve. He turns the phone around to show the photo, and as soon as Ushijima processes what he’s looking at, his face settles into a confused frown. They sit in silence with matching expressions, until one of their teammates informs them that they’d better get a move on or Coach Haribata would get mad at them for showing up late to the gym. Kageyama quickly finishes getting ready for practice, though his mind is anywhere but where it should be.

They take a short break after about an hour, and Kageyama twiddles his thumbs over his phone, trying to figure out what to answer. This time, Hinata had sent the picture to him specifically rather than using their group like he usually does, so the messages was directed at him and he knows he has to reply. He settles on a short _why_ which he hopes encapsulates all of the confusion he feels now.

He doesn’t want to imagine what on earth brought those two together, but the fact that it might be some stroke of fate doesn’t sit well with him. When he’d asked Hinata to see him before he left, he’d been refused, so seeing him so happy to be in Brazil with Oikawa stung. He didn’t want to think about how they were spending time playing beach volleyball together, maybe going out to eat together, laughing…

He couldn’t let himself get carried away like thoughts like that. He had a job to do too. If Hinata had said that he’s going to catch up to him someday, he needed to keep pushing forward, to set the stage where they’d stand together once more.

\---

The next time he hears from Hinata is when he’s in Brazil, after winning the quarterfinals against Italy.

 _That was a good match_ , is all it says.

He doesn’t know how to reply. Prior to his departure he’d wasted many hours thinking about how he’d approach him and Hinata being on the same side of the world again. He’d eventually come to the conclusion that it was better that he doesn’t reach out himself. He has the Olympics to focus on, after all.

_You were watching?_

He’s not sure why he didn’t consider that Hinata would be watching his games, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. The match was probably broadcast to every TV in the city, of course Hinata would watch. His fingers hover over the keys, and before he can second think it, he sends another message.

_Do you want to get dinner or something before the closing ceremonies?_

Deep down he knows that he wants to see Hinata, since at this point the last time they saw each other in person was when he had just moved to Tokyo to join the Adlers. He’s not allowed to invite anyone into the Athlete Village, but he and the others are allowed to go sightseeing on their own as long as they don’t have any other responsibilities. Besides, there’s a 4 day difference between the Men’s final and the closing ceremonies, and their coach insisted that they all stay until the end of the games so that Japan would come across as good hosts for the next games. It’s a perfect opportunity for them to reunite and catch up, but right now, the only thing standing between him and what he wants, seeing Hinata, is Hinata himself. He sees the three dots appear on his screen, before several messages all come in at once.

_Of course I was watching. I watch almost all of your games._

_No. We can’t yet_.

His heart thuds at the thought of Hinata watching his games over the past year. He’s never come to see one of his games in person, but he’d been watching them online just the same. Not only that, he’d been watching _all_ of them.

The second message leaves him more confused, though, so he sends another text asking for clarification.

What does he _mean_ they can’t yet? Haven’t they waited long enough to see each other?

This time Hinata takes a little longer to respond, and Kageyama understands why when he sees the wall of text that he’s replied.

_I’m not good enough yet! I told you we’d stand on the same stage one day and I don’t want to see you again until I feel like we are! Right now you’re all gwaah being part of the Olympics and that’s so cool but I’m still practically a novice here! If we met now it’d be unfair. Don’t worry though, once I get back you’ll get to see me and you’ll see how strong I am!_

Finally, after almost a year of Hinata cryptically avoiding his every attempt for them to hang out, he gets an answer as to why. That dumbass had taken their promise they’d made when they were sixteen to meet on the top of the world and held it close to his heart. He’s manifested it so much that he was refusing to even _see_ Kageyama until he could fulfil his end of the bargain. He smiles.

_I’ll be waiting._

He keeps smiling, and his good mood follows him all the way to the finals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, come chat with me about kagehina on twitter <3 @HQcharbon


	5. 2017

After the Olympics, he tries his best to keep his mind off of Kageyama. He busies himself with everything the city has to offer, the food, the training, and most importantly, the volleyball. He’s learned so much while he’s here, and now he’s set to complete his first season of beach volleyball with Heitor.

The circumstances under which they’d paired up had been less than ideal, since at the time Hinata had still needed to use a sign to write out some of his messages, his Portuguese feeling unfamiliar on his tongue, but over their time practicing together they’d grown much closer. Heitor had been a good partner for him to learn with, his experience speaking miles when it came to actual matches.

After one of their wins, Heitor approaches him to let him know that if they win the next match, he’s going to ask Nice to marry him. It’s an admirable thing, he thinks, to put so much of your daily life on the line during a volleyball game. Some might consider it risky to place such an important even on the outcome of a match and back down, but Hinata is up for the challenge. After all, that sounds like the kind of thing he would do.

He tells Heitor that they should do their best, and the conversation moves on to Hinata.

“To me, volleyball is just a job, but to you it’s more like a hobby?” Heitor asks. “Not in the sense of not being serious about it, though.”

“Hobby….” He thinks hard, stroking his chin as he concentrates. To him, volleyball isn’t a job _or_ a hobby, and it never has been. From the moment he met Kageyama, it’s been his whole life. Everyone he knows he knows because of volleyball, everything he does is inexplicably tied to volleyball.

Kageyama is like that too, he thinks, remembering back to his habits from their high school days. He sees a clear image of Kageyama sitting on the Karasuno gym floor, his back turned while he writes in his volleyball journal, while he files his nails down to the perfect length, a post-practice routine he’d seen him do many times. For him, Hinata thinks, everything has probably been about Volleyball since he was a baby or something.

“Sort of like eating food,” Heitor muses. “He probably doesn’t think of it as actual effort though.”

Hinata realizes he had been thinking out loud and he blushes a little before responding. “But if I had to pick between eating and training, I’d totally pick eating!”

Heitor laughs brightly at his answer before leaving Hinata at the beach, alone with his thoughts.

\---

Nice ends up proposing to Heitor after their loss a few days later, and the two get married in December. It’s his first time attending a wedding since he was a young child, and his first time attending one outside of Japan. He’s blinded by how bright and bold everything is, with Nice dressed in a sparkling gown and all of the guests drinking and dancing. He’s having a good time, but he feels kind of lonely, having come by himself. He only really knows Heitor and Nice out of everyone here, but they’re busy mingling with everyone else.

It’s only later in the evening that Heitor makes his way to Hinata, and he can tell how Heitor is ever so slightly off balance that he’s had a fair amount to drink.

“Thanks for coming!” He claps Hinata on the shoulder. “Are you having a good time?”

Hinata nods. “It was a really beautiful ceremony, and Nice looks gorgeous in her dress.”

“That she does,” he slurs. “I’m one lucky man.”

Hinata laughs at his friend’s openness. He hadn’t known either of them for very long, but from what he saw they were great together. He knew they’d have a very happy marriage.

“I’m glad she’s the one who asked me to marry her.” Heitor continues, eyes glued to Nice where she dances with one of her friends. “She’s always been one step ahead of me, you know? She pushes me to keep up with her and I’m grateful for that. I never want to let her go.”

“Yeah,” Hinata hums. He thinks he can relate. Ever since he was fourteen, he’s had someone in front of him, someone worth chasing after.

He feels his face heat up, and suddenly everything about the party feels much to suffocating. He excuses himself to step outside, and once he’s taken in some fresh air, he stares up at the sky and starts to think.

It was true that a large part of his motivations when he was younger was to eventually beat Kageyama, and that was what had lead him to his hot headed declaration that he’d stand on the court longer. But that goal had shifted once he and Kageyama had ended up on the same team. Even though he was still intent on beating Kageyama, he wanted to rise to his level, so that one day they could stand on the same stage together.

_Whether it’s 10 years from now or 20, however long it takes…_

He flashes back to his younger self, essentially promising Kageyama that he would keep playing, as long as they’d be together. It almost sounds like the words Heitor and Nice had exchanged during their ceremony, or when Nice proposed.

He pushes that thought down, Kageyama was his rival, their relationship wasn’t anything like Nice and Heitor’s, it just wasn’t. But thoughts of Kageyama kept bubbling under his skin, reminders of all the time they’d spent together in high school, every time his heart and started racing when their skin had touched, every time he felt like he had melted when he saw Kageyama show his softer side…

_No_. He stopped himself, pinching his skin to pull him away. If he continued down that train of thought he’d start thinking about how pretty Kageyama always looked when he wasn’t paying attention, or how his hair looked like it’d be pleasant to run his fingers through…. Or something.

He checked the time on his phone, sighing when he remembered his background. He had never changed it since he got to Brazil, so it was still a picture of he and his friends during one of their last games in high school. He traces his finger over Kageyama’s uninterested face and remembers the rare times he’s seen him smile and felt so happy he could burst. He’s struck with realization that was perhaps a long time coming.

_Oh fuck. I think I might be in love with Kageyama._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man, this chapter was all about picking up breadcrumbs to work with :')   
> kindly refer to chapter 37 if you want a refresher on the promise i'm talking about, and you can always come chat with me on twitter @HQcharbon


	6. 2018

“Yes! I’m still taller than him!” Hoshiumi yells excitedly, ignoring the quiet atmosphere of the Adlers’ bus as they drove towards Sendai. Kageyama sits next to him, looking over his shoulder as he checks out MSBY’s website. They’d had a team meeting the day prior to discuss strategies for the match, but that had just made everyone even more excited, causing an electric energy to sit in the air.

Several members of this team had been looking forward to this match for years, after all, Kageyama and Hoshiumi included. 

“You were taller when you first met him.” Kageyama comments. When Hinata and Hoshiumi had met during that first Spring Tournament, Hoshiumi had been a good 5 cm taller than Hinata, but now he barely edged him out, standing at 172 and 173 cm respectively. “Did you really think that would change?”

_So he grew even taller in Brazil?_ Kageyama tries to remember how tall he was the last time they’d been measured during high school. He remembers Hinata coming out of the nurse’s office frustrated that Yachi had measured him to be 169.9, just 1 mm short of 170. That didn’t change the fact that he was still short, all things considered.

“I know,” Hoshiumi continues, “but I want the chance to tell _him_ that. You know, rub it in or something.”

The bus pulls into the parking lot, and their conversation pauses while they clamor off the bus with their teammates. As they’re walking into the building, Hoshiumi pipes up again, darting in front of Kageyama to stop him in his tracks.

“When was the last time you saw him anyways?” He asks. “High school, right?”

Kageyama nods. Close enough.

“So that means you need to have a dramatic reunion!” Hoshiumi grins. “How are you gonna do it?”

Kageyama weighs his options, if he waits until they take the court, both of them will be focusing on the match and probably not bother to say anything to each other, but he can’t just barge into the MSBY lockers either –

The perfect idea strikes him, a callback to their first meeting and a running theme through their matches together during that first year.

“I have an idea,” he says mysteriously, and refuses to elaborate. If his plan is going to go smoothly, he needs to have perfect timing and he can’t trust Hoshiumi to not mess that up. 

“Is you stomach gonna be okay today?” He calls softly to Hinata as he skips into the bathroom.

Hinata turns around slowly, a determined grin on his face. He smiles back, and he can’t remember the last time he’s felt this giddy before a match.

Their encounter spiral deeper and deeper into chaos as Hinata challenges him to arm wrestling and, one by one, teammates from both sides filter into the hallway to greet each other. One of the Jackals’ coaches comes to collect them all, and they _finally_ let Hinata go to the bathroom before they all enter the court together for official warm-ups.

“Kageyama,” Hinata calls, right before the match is to start. He’s standing on his side of the net, his hand extended to shake. He grabs his hand and looks Hinata in the eye as he grips firmly. He can’t ignore the electricity buzzing between them, coursing through every point of impact. Hinata’s index finger caresses his wrist, a gesture so gentle he would have missed it if his skin didn’t feel like it’s on fire everywhere they touch. He feels like he’s floating.

“Good luck,” he says. “You’ll need it.”

\---

It turns out, he was the one who would need luck. They lose the match 3-1, but he’s never felt more exhilarated. He was having so much fun he never wanted it to end. Hinata’s raw talent had finally taken shape, and it was blinding to see him show off his talents to the world. He got so caught up by it that he almost missed Bokuto’s last spike, earning the Jackals their winning point.

He can feel the blood rushing in his ears when he lines up next to his teammates to shake hands. When he gets to Hinata, he’s met with an uncertain stare.

“You’re here.” Kageyama says.

“Yeah. I’m here now.”

He feels like he’s soaring at the acknowledgement that their promise from all of those years ago had been met. After years of being apart, one chasing after the other, they stand on the same stage as equals.

\---

Their former teammates who had come to see them come to the sidelines to inform them that they’ll wait for them outside the stadium until they’ve changed.

“We’re taking you guys out to dinner!” Suga grins. “That was some top quality entertainment, the least we can do is buy you guys some drinks.”

“Speak for yourself!” He hears Tanaka’s voice carry over the hoard of people surrounding them, all trying to catch glimpses of the players before the stadium is fully cleared out. “For all we know they’ve become heavy drinkers since the last time we saw them, and my pocket doesn’t run _that_ deep.”

Everyone laughs at the outburst, and Daichi pats him on the shoulder, mouthing _we’ll see you outside_ before ushering the rest of them towards the exit.

They find themselves at a small, dimly lit restaurant later, Hinata pressed into his right side while Tsukishima is keeping as much distance as he possibly can on his left. They all have beers in front of them, a treat from Suga, though he’s pretty sure it was only to annoy Tanaka and show off.

They slip back into their team dynamic easily, even though they’re missing some people, and it doesn’t take long for him to down a few drinks, feeling like he’s on a high. He’s felt that way since he laid eyes on Hinata though.

“So how did you guys reunite?” Yachi asks from where she sits across from Hinata, her hands curled into excited fists. “You guys are fated rivals, so I hope it was dramatic, at least.”

“He cornered me outside of the bathroom!” Hinata groans, pushing back from the table. “Totally unfair. That’s like taking advantage of your enemy’s weaknesses or something.”

“Yeah, well you’re the one who challenged me to arm wrestling and managed to get the whole locker room to join us,” he retorts, attempting so sneer back at Hinata, who has moved to stare into his eyes.

“Wait, what happened?” Suga interrupts their staring contest. “You’re going to elaborate, right?”

They recount the story in as much detail as they can, causing an uproar of laughter around the table as each teammate is introduced into the story in their own funny ways.

“Wait, we never did get to see who would win at arm wrestling…” Hinata thinks out loud. He slams his elbow on the table and resumes his determined stare from earlier. “Get ready to lose, Kageyama-kun.”

“Bring it on.”

Their fight is boisterous, as the table chooses sides to cheer for and causes a small unrest in the otherwise quiet restaurant. Its ultimately short lived, though, as Hinata loses quite easily. Either he’s not as strong as he looks, or he’s much more of a lightweight than Kageyama took him for.

“That’s how many wins for me now?” He snickers. “If you’re going to blame it on the alcohol, I’ll forfeit the win for now and take you on again when you’re sober.”

“Ugh.” He hears from behind him. Without even looking he can tell Tsukki has his fingers pressed to his temples. “Can you guys please stop flirting where I have to hear it?”

Some of the others giggle, but Hinata and Kageyama go suddenly silent. Sure, he was aware that what he was doing was probably flirting, but he doesn’t like having it pointed out to him. That must mean he’s being too obvious, and he blushes at the thought of the others catching on to his feelings.

“Your receives have gotten really good, Hinata.” Asahi compliments, trying to steer the conversation away from Tsukishima’s comment. “Nishinoya would be proud.”

“Thanks! I got enough practice in high school with this guy’s serve, so I got to show off when he kept aiming at me all match.”

“Yeah what was with that?” Suga asks him. “You know they had other receivers you could’ve served at.”

“I had to make sure his defense was still good.” He blushes. “How else is he going to make the national team one day?”

Hinata turns the same colour as his hair, and awkwardly tries to change the subject again until they’re all ready to leave. They say goodbye to their old classmates and decide to walk back together, since both the Adlers and the Jackals are staying in a hotel that’s a short walk away from the restaurant. Neither of them seem like they’re in a hurry to end the night anyways, so they take their sweet time.

“You know…” he starts as they begin to take a detour through a park. “I didn’t say it earlier, but you’ve, uh, gotten really good.”

“What’s that?” Hinata teases, poking him in the side. “Was that a compliment?”

“Shut up.”

“Don’t worry, I _know_ I’ve gotten good.” He continues matter of factly. “In fact, I’ve gotten so good that Hibarida came to see me after the match for a little personal chat.”

His eyes widen. If Hibarida talked to him, that must mean –

Hinata is looking up at him, eyes sparking. “He told me it’s not official, but if I keep playing as good as I did today a spot on the national team is as good as mine.”

He can’t help but conceal his excitement, and wraps Hinata into his arms, squeezing the life out of him.

“I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!” He loosens his grasp, just enough to see Hinata’s face, illuminated by the streetlamps. He looks like he’s glowing, and from this angle Kageyama notices so many details he’s never noticed before, like how he has sun spots that are so faint they’re only visible from this close, or how his eyes are darker around the edges than they are in the center, almost like a ring of amber around his pupils, which are wide and drawing him in. He can see how vulnerable Hinata is from just his eyes, how nervous he is. He wonders if his eyes show the same.

Without thinking, he laces his fingers through Hinata’s hair and brings their faces close together. He gently presses their lips together before seemingly realizing what he’s doing and pulling back, though still keeping close.

“I’m sorry.” He opens his eyes to see if Hinata is mad, but instead he sees that his eyes have fluttered shut and his hands taken a grip on his shirt in the span of that short kiss. He can feel Hinata’s breath, warm against his cheek.

“Why though?” he whispers into Kageyama’s ear. “I’ve spent so long wanting this, don’t apologize for it. I know you want it too.”

He presses his lips chastely to Kageyama’s cheek before he continues. “We spent so long apart, I don’t ever want that to happen then. I wanna keep being beside you, okay?”

His heart feels absolutely full, and he finally understands, that all that time they spent apart made him grow fonder. There were so many moments, lost between him, times where they had the potential to be something more but perhaps neither of them realized it, or neither of them were brave enough to make a move. But now that he’s here he’s not going to let this one get lost too.

“I’m here now,” he promises. “And I don’t want to ever leave you again either.”

He dives down for another kiss, feeling like he’d very much like to keep this going forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you made it this far leave a kudos and come talk to me on twitter @HQcharbon!!

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat with me on twitter @HQcharbon


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